The Mookse and the Gripes discussion

Since there is already discussion and a Listopia list, let's create a separate discussion here.
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

I confidently predict I will prefer the 2024 longlist to the 2023 list

same Paul

I can fairly confidently predict you might not given the story in next Saturday’s Bookseller

www.thebookseller.com/news/fantasy-au...

Apologies but it’s paywalled until the start of next month so I can’t post the details but hopefully someone has a subscription

I am predicting books translated from Dothraki and High Valyrian

I just hope he only accepts if he has finished Winds of Winter. Does anyone know when the judges start reading the books?

I feel bad for directing attention to something so distant when the 2023 longlist is still so fresh (albeit many of us have already read more than half of the list and have expressed their disappointment). Thanks, Hugh, for setting up the thread.

So Martin has been asked to be one of the the judges, is that what’s behind the paywall? Wow...

If is stops him writing another one of his books that it a sacrifice I am prepared to accept.

I don't understand the Booker's predilection for including celebrities on judging panels. It's hard to take it seriously. Are there celebrities on this year's IB panel? That may explain away some of the choices.

is this an early April fool's joke?

Does anyone know about the publication of The most secret memory of men by Mohamed Mbougar Sarr?

It's already out in many different languages, but I can't seem to find a UK release date. I really enjoyed this book and I feel it has IB written all over it.

Ah that may explain it being in next Saturday’s edition and being unpaywalled at the start of next month.

haha maybe!

Louise wrote: "Does anyone know about the publication of The most secret memory of men by Mohamed Mbougar Sarr?

It's already out in many different languages, but I can't seem to find a UK release date. I really enjoyed this book and I feel it has IB written all over it."

It looks like The Most Secret Memory of Men has a release date of September 26, 2023 from Simon & Schuster. I don't see a UK release, unless it's published via one of its UK imprints. My knowledge of imprints is spotty.

the most secret memory of men is being published in the US by Other Press in September. Is Other Press one of those publishers that has offices in both the US and UK or am I thinking of and other stories?

I’ve wondered about The Most Secret Memory, too, as it’s been critically acclaimed over here. Haven’t read it yet.

Another hyped one (at least here) that just came out in Finnish translation (by someone I know & should support him by buying a copy soon) is Wound by Vasyakina. Coming out in English in September.

Yahaira wrote: "the most secret memory of men is being published in the US by Other Press in September"

Good catch. Here's the page on Other Press's website: https://otherpress.com/product/the-mo.... I don't see that edition on GR yet.

I wonder if the edition I linked to is the UK release after all.

David wrote: "Yahaira wrote: "the most secret memory of men is being published in the US by Other Press in September"

Good catch. Here's the page on Other Press's website: https://otherpress.com/product/the-mos..."

It could be UK or Canada it seems

The book I've been tracking is The Blue Light, which keeps having its publication date delayed. Probably moot on this thread since the publisher is Seagull.

The Most Secret Memory seems to be on Simon & Schuster's Canada page but not the UK one.

Other Press are a US Penguin Random House imprint.

I suspect it will be published in UK but can't see it yet.

The Most Secret Memory is published by Harvill Secker, do not have the exact publication date yet!

Paul will like the The Blue Light if no other reason than its length.

David wrote: "The book I've been tracking is The Blue Light, which keeps having its publication date delayed. Probably moot on this thread since the publisher is Seagull."

I’m also tempted to add books such as Hospital by Sinha Rushdi and The Healer by Marek Vadas to the list, but since they're on Seagull, I probably shouldn’t. In any case, I thought those looked interesting.

Mohamed wrote: "The Most Secret Memory is published by Harvill Secker, do not have the exact publication date yet!"

Thank you Mohamed, this hadn't turned up in my sleuthing. Good to know!

I just read The Most Secret Memory of Men last weekend (in Dutch translation) - it was a 4,5 star read for me: ambitious, far from perfect but an absorbing reading experience....I can definitely see it on the list: review

For the rest, I can see the Charco's do better this year than last...

To be published in Serbian translation on 17 April and I'm very much looking forward to it.

There are two Han Kang's but not sure when the second one is due out.

I wonder if Call Me Cassandra will finally be eligible lol

Does anyone know if the MANIAC by Benjamin Labatut was translated or did he write it directly in English? I can't see a Spanish version anywhere.

Written in English.

And it looks 2023 Booker eligible as the Pushkin Press version is in September it seems (Penguin are publishing in US in October).

Ruben wrote: "Does anyone know if the MANIAC by Benjamin Labatut was translated or did he write it directly in English? I can't see a Spanish version anywhere."

I think it was written in English. There is no translator credited on the publisher's site.

Any serious guesses about which fantasy author was approached?

My guess is Neil Gaiman - because I think he's one of the only fantasy authors I would expect to seriously consider doing this and because of the sheer volume of introductions he's written to other works of literature.

Gaiman might be better than Martin, but I'm not sure either one would be a prudent choice.

Yahaira wrote: "I wonder if Call Me Cassandra will finally be eligible lol"

If only!

David wrote: "Gaiman might be better than Martin, but I'm not sure either one would be a prudent choice."

Approached to judge the 2024 IB??

WndyJW wrote: "David wrote: "Gaiman might be better than Martin, but I'm not sure either one would be a prudent choice."

Approached to judge the 2024 IB??"

Yes, GY posted a link with a URL that contains "fantasy-author-approached-as-international-booker-judge' - my guess would be Gaiman to be the author in question.

EDIT: Or possibly an article about a previous judging year and the author turning it down? No way to know because the article is paywalled as of yet.

I like Gaiman, but I never really thought of him as a reader of translated literary fiction, which was a silly, unfounded impression on my part.

That was a joke by GY.

You wish.

According to a Reddit speculation thread the judge when reading (not when writing) likes books which combines readability with literary quality

R+L=J

Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer wrote:

R+L=J"

That seems conclusive to me!

I am now officially lost. Is this another Dungeons and Dragons joke?

No offense towards GY, but considering recent books chosen and Lee Childs selected as a judge, another genre author, not that there’s anything wrong with that (a Seinfeld joke,) it wasn’t clear that it was a joke.

They need, or we need, to determine what “readability” means. Is it simply a well written novel with a plot, like Hungry Ghosts, The Colony, or the Elizabeth Strout novels, is having a plot what makes a novel readable, or is linear timeline, simple sentences, short paragraphs, no other culture references, no genre stretching like Milkman, Aliss at the Fire?

so was the fantasy author revealed? lol

Winter Is coming to the Booker.

I guess next year will be pie books instead of biscuit books

I am confused if it's a author or a hack scriptwriter of soft-porn TV trash as the clues seem to point to the latter.

why not both?

I challenge the soft-porn label. I watched GoT every week when it first came out, but the sexual violence was too much for me. The porn was not soft. I watched the last 2 episodes that ended the series and knew who was who, so even though I skipped years of the show I still know how it ended.

Are his books well received among fantasy fans?

they are

The show and books are two different things
___

Thankfully it's not April fool's anymore

WndyJW wrote: "I challenge the soft-porn label. I watched GoT every week when it first came out, but the sexual violence was too much for me. The porn was not soft. I watched the last 2 episodes that ended the se..."

I had similar problems although more with the torture scenes in a later series which were rather too lovingly rendered and really weren't needed. Liked the dragons though. I've read the first in the series of novels it reminded me a little of The Sopranos - if it had unfolded in a fantasy version of medieval times, but gave up on the second, the structure's very convoluted told from various perspectives, and every character I invested in died!

I read the books, before the tv show. I thought they were very successful for what they are, great plotting and hugely entertaining reads just not great prose. I loved that he wasn’t afraid to kill off his characters, felt like here’s an author willing to do the unpredictable.

Stopped watching the show after about the second season. Much prefer the books, as usual…